Liquid level control for jig elevator casings



Oct. 30,1951

B. M. BIRD 2,573,389

LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL FOR JIG ELEVATOR CASINGS Filed Oct. 8, 1949 '5 Sheets-Sheet i fNvfNToE; BYRON M. BIRD) Oct. 30, 1951 B. M. BIRD LIQUID LEVEL CONTROL FOR JIG ELEVATOR CASINGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 8, 1949 f/v VE/V 7-0/2; BYRON M. BIRD, BY

Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT.

OFFICE LIQUID LEVEL CONTRIOLFORJIGL ELEVATOR cpl-stu s Byron M. Bird, Columbus, Ohio, minor to: The. 1 7 Jeffrey Manufacturing: Company, ,a; corporation 7 of Ohio 1 Application October 8, 1949,, Serial No. 120,270

inafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view of a jig incorporating the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of said jig, with parts broken away and in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational detail View,

with parts in section, showing the overflowcon trol weir associated with the elevator housing;

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on, the line 6--6 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The general construction of a typical Baum jig is disclosed in the patent to Orval R. Strawn, No. 2,281,530, dated April 28, 1942, to which reference is made for a more complete illustration of the jig illustrated particularly in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, with certain modifica tions, to incorporate the features of my invention.

Another feature of the invention, as an element of the complete combination, particularly in the form of a control valve between the hutch compartment and the elevator compartment, is disclosed and claimed in the application ofWilliam J. Smith, Serial No. 119,788, filed ,October 6, 1949 entitled Hutch Valve for Baum Jig.

' As seen in Figs. 1 and 2, the jig includes a main tank or container II! which, as illustrated, has two jigging compartments in which material, is successively treated. The number of compartments may be increased or reduced as desired. Each jigging compartment includes a perforated screen plate It upon whicha bed ofgranular materials is to be treated and classified according to specific-gravity, illustrative materials being iron ore and coal; The jig illustrated is particularly adapted for cleaning coal andisem 4; Claims. (01. 209-455 A arati-ng the-pure coal from-its gangue or refuses ment.

Below the screen plate I I there is-a hutch compartment 12 divided into-two cells by a vertical transverse partition l3; Adjacent and to the left ;of the hutch compartment I 2' is an elevator compartment I4 within which there is'a bucket type elevator mechanism i5 adapted to carry the refuseareceived in the compartment l4 upward- 1y and discharge it fromthe elevator compart- The jig illustrated is of the well known Baum type in which air is employed to cause cyclic pulsion and suction strokes or-upward anddownwardmovement of the jigging fluid, preferably" water,"through the screen plate II and the bed of materials supported thereby. As is well known in this art this action produces a stratification of" the materials in saidbed, with the high gravity materials in the lower stratum and the low gravity materials in the upper stratum.

The f high gravity materials accumulate in refuse discharge mechanism IB which is under the automatic "control of refuse control float mechanism I'l ".lhe high gravity material or refuse discharged by the mechanism [6 is received in the elevator'compartment M. gravity material stratifled in the bed on the screen plate H is carried with sor'ne of the cleanmg water over thedischarge lip I8 of the jig.

In order'to minimize the fluctuation of the liquid level in the, elevator or refuse compartment l4", there is. a flexible check valve l9 associated with a bottom opening 20in an upright partition 21 which constitutes a common wall with the hutch compartment l2 andthe elevatorcompartment l4; As disclosed in more detail and.

tivelyfr'ee flow of water fromthe hutch compartment [2 into the elevator. compartment '14, but i prevents a reverse flow of said water between said two compartments, thus increasing the effectiveness of. the, suctionstroke on the bedof materials.

It has been, found desirable to incorporate with the structure so fardefined an overflow control orweir 22 in association .with the elevator compartment I4, and this weir 2 2 is preferably so positioned that the maximum liquid level in the elevator compartment [4 does not greatly exceed ample, itis preferably not more than a few inches above it, this expression being understood to mean from two to ten inches and, as a maximum, not more than afoot, r g

The function of this control weir 22 is to pre- The low For exvent the development of an undesirably high head of water in the elevator compartment. l4

which might otherwise develop during the pulsion discharge opening 23, through which the refuseor high gravity material will pass inmovingfl i.

from thescreen H into the discharge mechanism Hi. This reverse flow of liquid is undesirable because it tends to destroy the Stratification of the material adjacent said opening 23, thus interfering with the efiiciency of the separation of the material according to specific gravity..;-

By maintaining the maximum height 'of liquid level in the compartment I I to a few inches above the height of the discharge lip l8, a periodic disturbance of the Stratification of the material on the bed of the screen I I, particularly adjacent the high gravity discharge opening 23, is greatly minimized or completely eliminated.

It has been found that the control weir 22 is particularly desirable in combination with the check valve I9, though in certain aspects of the invention it might conceivably be used alone,

Attention is now directed particularly to Figs. 3 to 6 of the drawings in which the details of the weir 22 are illustrated. Associated with the bottom sloping walls of the elevator compartment it there is an open top box 24 into which water can flow from said compartment M by means of an opening 25 in said elevator casing bottom wall and adjacent the bottom of the box 24.

The left-hand wall of the box 24, as viewed in- Fig. 3 of the drawings, is provided with a large opening 26 which communicates with a discharge spout 21. Slidable over the opening 26 is a gate 28 which is mounted upon an adjustingrod '29 held in adjustable position by a pair of lock nutscooperating with a holding .bracket 30 which is carried at the upper end of the box 24.

The opposite ends of the gate 28 are:slidable in guides 3| carried by the box 24. ilxtending transversely across the gate 28 there is-an elongated slot 32, the lower edge of which. is'the effective overflow control or weir which determines the maximum height of the liquid in the elevator compartment [4. It is obvious that by adjusting the gate 28 the maximum level of the liquid within said compartment l4 may be varied.

In the operation of the device, the material to be treated, such as coal, will be delivered. to

the first compartment of the jig, which when of the two compartment type, as illustrated in Fig. I

2, will be the right-hand compartment, wherein it will undergo a jigging action which isnot dif ferent in kind from that which takes place in the second compartment. It will be understood that the features shown in detail in association with material on the perforated screen I I, it is jevident that during the pulsion stroke the liquid can flow freely from the hutch compartment l2 into the elevator compartment M through the check valve 19. This will produce an upward movement of liquid through the bed of materials and the screen plate II. It will also produce anupward movement of liquid in the elevator compartment i4.

the

The maximum height of this liquid in the elevator compartment M will be determined by the Weir or control gate 22 associated therewith.

During the suction stroke the liquid will move downwardly through the bed of materials and through the screen plate H. During this time check valve 19 will be closed so that there is a minimum variation of liquid level in the elevator compartment [4, since it will be prevented from flowing into the hutch compartment l2. This .will.increase the effectiveness of the suction stroke on the bed of materials.

During'the pulsion stroke the maximum height of the liquid inthe elevator compartment it will not exceed greatly the height of the liquid in the jigging compartment above the screen H, as it flows with the low gravity material over the discharge lip [8. As a consequence there will not be an appreciable head of liquid in the elevator In the case of iron ore the high gravity material is, of course, the valuable constituent, the gangue In this case, of

being the low gravity material. course, the valuable ore is discharged through discharge mechanism. l6 and ultimately delivered from the jig by the conveyer [5. The physical characteristics of an ore jig as distinguished from 'a coal jig are well recognized, one difference being that they are generally considerably smaller,

for any given tonnage.

Obviously those skilled in' the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and applicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction" herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what it is desired to secure by'Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A jig including a material supporting screen on which material is stratified by pulsating fluid flow therethrough, a hutch compartment below said screen, an elevator compartment, high gravity material discharge means operable to control discharge of high gravity material from said .screen into said elevator compartment, check valve means restricting the flow of fluid from said elevator compartment into said hutch compartment while providing for ready reverse flow of said fluid, and fluid discharge control means pro A vided on said elevator compartment and posi tioned above 'said screen and high gravity material discharge means for controlling the maxi'- mum height of fluid in said elevator co1npa'rt-- ment to thus control undesirable flow of fluid from said elevator compartment through said high gravity material discharge means.

It is to be.

partment while providing for ready reverse flow of said fluid, and fluid discharge control means provided on said elevator compartment positioned above said high gravity material discharge means for controlling the maximum height of fluid in said elevator compartment to thus control undesirable flow of fluid from said elevator compartment through said high gravity material discharge means.

3. A jig including a jigging tank having a screen above a hutch compartment and an adjacent low gravity overflow lip, an elevator having an elevator compartment and elevating means therein, said jig being operable to cause liquid to flow successively upwardly and downwardly through said screen to stratify materials thereon with the high gravity material in the bottom stratum, an ejector operable to control the discharge of high gravity material from-said screen into said elevator compartment, check valve means located below said screen and controlling the flow of fluid between said hutch compartment and said elevator compartment and constructed and arranged to restrict the flow of fluid from said elevator compartment into said hutch compartment as said liquid flows downwardly through said screen, and an overflow control on said elevator compartment operable to limit the maximum height of fluid in said elevator casing to a few inches above said overflow lip to thus control the undesirable flow of fluid from said elevator compartment through said high gravity material discharge means.

6 4. A jig including a jigging tank having a screen above a hutch compartment and an adjacent low gravity overflow lip, an elevator having an elevator compartment and elevating means therein, said jig being operable to cause liquid to flow successively upwardly and downwardly through said screen to stratify materials thereon with the high gravity material in the bottom stratum, an ejector operable to control the discharg of high gravity material from said screen into said elevator compartment, check valve means located below said screen and controlling the flow of fluid from said elevator compartment to said hutch compartment, and an overflow control on said elevator compartment operable to limit the maximum height of fluid in said elevator casing to thus control the undesirable flow of fluid from said elevator compartment through said high gravity material ejector.

' BYRON M. BIRD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

